Precleanse Superfoods: Get Ready to Detox!

Another great post from our Joyous Team — Guest Blogger Kate McDonald Walker. Enjoy!

lemon and water – joyous health

Last week, we talked about the importance of pre-cleansing in broad terms, now let’s talk details.

There are also plenty of delicious foods out there that go beyond being healthy and are detox-supporting powerhouses. Here are some of my favourites:

• High-fiber foods. Fiber consumption promotes bile secretion, which will enhance liver function and improve the detoxifying capacity of the liver. Fiber also helps cleanse the digestive tract. Good sources of dietary fiber include chia seeds, dark berries, especially those with seeds such as raspberries, apples, pears, onions, cauliflower, leafy greens, peas and lentils.
• Sulfur-containing foods. Foods high in sulfur protect the liver from damage and improve its ability to help with detoxification processes. Examples include vegetables from the Alluim genus (garlic, onions and leeks); free-range egg yolks; cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage); and legumes: (chick peas, lentils, pinto beans).

• Lemon juice. Lemons are a source of vitamin C, which helps the body detoxify, but lemon water in the morning, which has long been a staple of ayurvedic diets, can also help alkalize the body and aid digestion. Joy’s a huge fan of lemon and water in the morning. You can hear more about what she has to say about it here.

• Beets. Beets contain betaine, a substance that encourages the liver to get rid of toxins. Beets are also a good source of fiber, which promotes bile secretion and will enhance liver function and improve the detoxifying capacity of the liver. Fiber also helps cleanse the digestive tract.

• Green tea. Caffeine is on the no-no list during a detox, but green tea has substantially less caffeine than coffee or black tea and it has so many detox bonuses. The catechin bioflavonoids in green tea help boost the production of groups of detoxification enzymes capable of converting carcinogens into harmless chemicals in the human body.

• Rosemary. This herb does more than make tasty meals tastier. Rosemary and its phytonutrients enhance the action of liver enzymes responsible for metabolizing and detoxifying chemicals.

• Dark, leafy greens. Dark, leafy greens like kale contain chlorophyll, which help cleanse the body of harmful environmental toxins from smog, heavy metals, herbicides, cleaning products and pesticides. Bitter leafy greens like arugula and dandelion also help stimulate the flow of digestive juices, to help get the digestive process off to a strong start.

• Carrots. Carrots are great sources of antioxidant pro-vitamin A carotenoids, free-radical-scavenging manganese, sulfite-detoxifying molybdenum and all-important fiber.